The invention relates to an air powered conveyor system wherein the cans or articles are moved along the conveyor system through the use of air powered jets. Historically, most conveyor systems have relied on belts or chains to move the articles along their way in a conventional conveyor system.
However, belts and chains are subject to breaking, stretching and/or jamming of the articles being conveyed. In recent years, air power systems have been developed whereby air pressure is utilized to move the articles along the conveyor system from one station to another. As the articles move along the conveyor system, a point is reached wherein the article is required to be changed from a vertical orientation to a horizontal orientation or vice versa. The use of a gravity spiral has been attempted however, it cannot maintain the speed of the remainder of the system and as a result frequent jamming occurs. As one would expect, the jamming of a conveyor system requires that the entire line be shut down until the jam is cleared. This can be an expensive delay in terms of lost production and man hours required to clear the jam. Additionally, the frequency of the jam compounds the problem and likewise increases the overall cost.